ther in love, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding; to the acknowledgment of the mystery of God, and of the Father, and of Christ." Sometimes God the Father stands first. "For there are three that bear record in heaven; the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost: and these three are one." Now, as this last order is not always attended to, it shews that one is not before or after another; and that one is not greater or less than the other. Again; "Now, there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are differences of administrations, but the same Lord; and there are diversities of operations, but it is the same God, which worketh all in all," 1 Cor. xii. 4-6. Here the Holy Ghost takes the name of Spirit, Lord, and God, to himself; and therefore he must be the Spirit, Lord, and God. Sometimes the Holy Ghost is prayed to as God. "But the Lord is faithful, who shall establish you, and keep you from evil. And we have confidence in the Lord touching you, that ye both do and will do the things which we command you. And the Lord direct your hearts into the love of God, and into a patient waiting for Christ." The Lord, who is faithful, and who stablishes the churches, and keeps them from evil, and in whom Paul places his confidence, is the Holy Ghost; and he is prayed to, that he may direct the saints' hearts into the love of God, and into the patient waiting for Christ. The Holy Spirit is prayed to as a divine person, to direct souls into the love of God, who is

another person; and into the patient waiting for Christ, which is another, and a distinct person from the former two.

That the Holy Ghost is truly and essentially God appears from the scriptures, which ascribe divine attributes and perfections to him; such as eternity. Through the eternal Spirit he offered himself to God," Heb. ix. 14. Omniscience also

66

"The Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God: for what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God," 1 Cor. ii. 10, 11. Omnipotence is ascribed to him. "The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the highest shall overshadow thee," Luke i. 35. He is called the Spirit of counsel and might, Isaiah ii. 2. And the Spirit of power and of a sound mind, 2 Tim. i. 7. How can he be called the Spirit of power, the Spirit of might, and the power of the highest, if he be not the Almighty God? Nothing can be the power of the highest but omnipotence itself; and whatever is omnipotent is God.

Omnipresence. "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me," Psalm cxxxix. 7-10. Here is the Holy Spirit,

and his presence, and his hand, in all places; therefore he must be omnipresent, and immensity itself, seeing there is no going from him, either in heaven or in earth, in the sea or in hell.

Holiness also. He is declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead, Rom. i. 4. If he be the Spirit of holiness he must have holiness in himself, as he has; and he is the author of holiness in all the saints, for they are sanctified by the Holy Ghost, who dwells in them. "Know ye not that your bodies are the temples of the Holy Ghost?" "Ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people," 2 Cor. vi. 16. He is called the Spirit of truth, and truth itself, who leads the saints into all truth. The Spirit of wisdom also; and, if he be the Spirit of truth, and truth itself, then he must be divine verity and divine wisdom. All these things, properly considered, are sufficient to prove that the Holy Ghost is a person, a divine person, and therefore truly and properly God.

I must conclude, wishing my dear brother much of the presence of God in this new year. And when it is well with thee remember

W. H

LETTER IV.

To the Rev. J. JENKINS, Lewes, Sussex.

BELOVED,

SINCE I sent off the last, my head and my heart have been conceiving and bringing forth again, insomuch that I think I have more oil in my cruse now than when I began. My horn is exalted like the horn of an unicorn, and I am anointed with fresh oil, Psalm xcii. 10. Therefore I will proceed to shew that the Holy Ghost is a distinct person. He is said to proceed from the Father. "When the comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me," John xv. 26. If he proceed from the Father, he must be distinct from him from whom he proceeds. Again; "It is expedient for you that I go away; for, if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but, if I depart, I will send him." Here the Spirit proceeds from the Son also, as well as from the Father.

And,

as he is distinct from the Father, so he is also from the Son; "I will send him." The Spirit, which is

sent, is a distinct person from him that sends him, He is likewise called another. "I will "I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another comforter." God is called the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort: the Saviour is called the consolation of Israel, which good old Simeon waited to see; and Christ, being about to leave his flock, promises to send them another comforter, that should abide with them for ever; and, if he be another comforter, he must be distinct both from the Father and the Son, or else he cannot be another, but must be the same.

I believe that God the Father never did any works from which the Son or the Spirit were excluded. "Verily, verily, I say unto you, the Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise," John v. 19. Nor did he ever work any work from which the Spirit was excluded. Their distinct personality appears in all their divine operations; and in every work they seem to be jointly concerned. In the secret councils of old, and in the decree of election, and in the covenant of grace which was made from everlasting, they were jointly concerned: there was the Father choosing, the Son in whom the choice was made undertaking to save, and the Spirit to sanctify and make obedient the objects chosen. "Elect according to the fore-knowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit unto obedience, and sprinkling of the